Instincts guide Reynoso's saves to earn Lancers the win

Feb. 20, 2014

Updated 12:05 p.m.

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Taylor Duplautier yells out amid a dog pile of teammates after Lakewood's overtime penalty kick shoot out victory over Agoura in a wild card playoff match at Lakewood High School in Long Beach, CA on Wednesday February 19, 2014. CHRISTIAN RANDOLPH, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Lakewood players swarm goal keeper Isabella Reyuoso after her overtime penalty kick shootout save to give Lakewood the wildcard win over Agoura at Lakewood High School in Long Beach, CA on Wednesday February 19, 2014. CHRISTIAN RANDOLPH, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Lakewood goalkeeper Isabella Reyuoso blocks a penalty kick during overtime play against Agoura at Lakewood High School in Long Beach, CA on Wednesday February 19, 2014. CHRISTIAN RANDOLPH, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Lakewood players rush the field after a blocked penalty kick gives them the win over Agoura at Lakewood High School in Long Beach, CA on Wednesday February 19, 2014. CHRISTIAN RANDOLPH, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Lakewood players swarm goal keeper Isabella Reyuoso after her overtime penalty kick shootout save to give Lakewood the wildcard win over Agoura at Lakewood High School in Long Beach, CA on Wednesday February 19, 2014. CHRISTIAN RANDOLPH, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Taylor Duplautier yells out amid a dog pile of teammates after Lakewood's overtime penalty kick shoot out victory over Agoura in a wild card playoff match at Lakewood High School in Long Beach, CA on Wednesday February 19, 2014. CHRISTIAN RANDOLPH, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Isabella Reynoso listened to her gut, analyzed her opponents' eyes and came up big twice during the penalty-kick shootout that lifted Lakewood in its CIF Southern Section girls soccer playoff opener Wednesday afternoon.

The senior goalkeeper made two stops, including a leaping save on Kinsey McLaughlin's decisive kick, to give the Lancers a 7-6 triumph in the tiebreaker after a tense scoreless draw with visiting Agoura.

It sends Lakewood (10-10-4) into Division 2's main, 32-team bracket and a first-round encounter with third-seeded Santiago (19-3-5) of Corona, a team the Lancers played evenly during a tournament game in December.

“We actually felt pretty confident coming into (the shootout),” said Lakewood coach Scott Manson, whose team lost, 1-0, at Santiago on a late penalty kick neither side thought was warranted. “We practiced it the last two or three days. I just kept going over this game and looking at this matchup, and I kept coming up with a penalty shootout. We felt pretty confident.”

Reynoso provided plenty of reason for hope. She dived to her left to deny Hanna Ball on Agoura's fourth of five shots in the initial series, pulling Lakewood even after Chargers goalkeeper Jordyn Morris stopped Taylor Duplantier on the Lancers' second try.

Her save on McLaughlin, also to her left, was more emphatic and led to a wild dog-pile celebration in front of the north goal on her school's football field.

“Just a gut feeling, you know?” Reynoso said. “I kind of saw it coming. (McLaughlin) looked kind of scared up there. Usually, when they come up, I look at their eyes. Wherever they look, that's usually where they're going to put the ball.”

Agoura (10-8-5), with a crisper passing game and far better possession, had more of the game and the chances, but Reynoso made three diving stops – on Kelsie Garrison about 15 minutes into the second half and near the finish of the second of two 10-minute overtime periods and on Sofia Chambers during the first overtime session – to post the shutout.

Alexus Aviles' hard work in midfield was huge for Lakewood, and Liberty and Duplantier came close to scoring three goals in a breakneck two-minute segment late in the second half. Liberty, from the right flank, forced Morris to parry her shot off the crossbar, and Duplantier, who came alive after halftime, hit the right and then the left post on successive forays.

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